Stories from the field

For three days in February, I visited Kiva borrowers in Nyanza Province near Lake Victoria in the southwest of Kenya. The visits took me to the city of Kisii and the nearby towns of Nyamira and Kenyenya via countless pickup truck, boda-boda, and matatu rides. Although it was invaluable to see a side of Kenya other than my base of Nairobi, the remoteness of the region gave me a new appreciation for the hard work that Kiva partners put in to service our clients.

Motbung branch staff along with the Kiva Coordinator and us, the Kiva Fellows!

Last Tuesday, I got the chance to attend a loan disbursement at one of WSDS’s branch offices in Motbung, about 30 minutes from Manipur’s capital city of Imphal. A loan disbursement is exactly what is sounds like, handing out cash to groups of WSDS clients who have applied for a loan, gone through training, and been approved to begin a new cycle. It may sound boring (when is a visit to the bank ever not boring?), but I loved every minute of... Continue Reading >>

Are guinea pigs better served as pets or meals? This is one question I never thought I would have the opportunity to answer.
It was a sunny Tuesday here in Ecuador and the loan officers and I were headed to go meet with a Kiva borrower to discuss how her business of raising chickens was doing. Along the way, my stomach began to growl. I expressed to the loan officers that I was hungry and they asked me what I wanted to eat. I told them that I wanted to try more of the local food in Ecuador. They immediately smiled and said had the same idea - cuy. ... Continue Reading >>

It is a delight to meet Munara. She is 60 years old, chatty and bubbly, ever ready to pose for photos and talk about her family and farm. Her personality seems to rub off on her family, both her sons, Tolon and Bakyt, also have warm personalities. They ask many questions about Kiva and the Internet.
Her husband, Abakir, is more quiet, but is still very eager to put on his best fur hat to match the beautiful scarf that his wife has put on for the photo below. They live in a small one-bedroom house in a village in Kyrgyzstan. The kitchen is built as a part of the living room. There’s a... Continue Reading >>

After venturing through hours of the greenest landscape over several hills, we finally made it to Borbon, a small city in Northern Ecuador. Our mission was to find Danni - a Kiva borrower. However, it wasn't as simple as one may think. First, we had to climb down a hill into an area of several homes. The loan officers forgot which direction her house was, so we asked a group of women where Danni was. After... Continue Reading >>

I have had the opportunity to visit 4 women entrepreneurs of Fundación Namaste Guatemaya to see in practice how our field partner helps make Guatemalan women entrepreneurs be successful in their business. The women I visited are part of the Namaste Business Development Program. Namaste does not only disburse the loan but also provides education and mentorship during the nine month loan cycle. A personal business advisor visits the borrower every month to give advice on how to improve their business and hold track of their income and expenses. They ask about family situation, health, and any... Continue Reading >>

Ari Raz with one of PureJoy's baby food varieties. Photo by Ralph Alswang.

There are very few people who would buy a one-way ticket to Washington DC with the dream of getting into food production. Meet Ari Raz, one of the founders of PureJoy, who capitalized on the city’s strong entrepreneurial spirit and support for small food businesses.
Ari initially intended to start a restaurant. However, he had little experience in food production itself. Thoughts then shifted to a different type of food venture, inspired by... Continue Reading >>

I’ve been traveling for the past 2 week to visit villagers who are Kiva borrowers in Myanmar’s Dry Zone. I visited 10 villages in 3 townships, which all in all meant spending about 25 hours on motorbike and 20 hours on a bus. It was a long and tiresome trip. However, I had a chance to learn more about the Proximity Designs’ loan operation on the field and got to know lots of nice and kind people. What I liked the most about the trip were the people; in just nine days they sparked a lot of admiration in me for their dedication and hard work. I was amazed and humbled by everyone...

The day starts with an early rise. I get picked up at 5am in the obligatory Lada (a small hardworking Russian car) to head out to the remote region of Fuzili. It’s a 4 ½ hour drive from Baku and we want to beat the traffic. I’m spending the day with Komak Credit Union. With me are Afa (Kiva Coordinator) and Farhad (loan officer and designated driver for the day). Along the way we stop off at a mosque that is being renovated to leave a small donation and pray for a safe journey.
The... Continue Reading >>

Many warungs, or small family-owned shops, crowd the streets of Denpasar, Bali but one is sure to catch your attention. The bright yellow bamboo sign at Warung Bu Sinta reads, “Switch on Life” and the owner, Sumarti, waits outside, ready to explain what her “Tech Kiosk” warung is all about.

Sumarti outside of her store

Sumarti’s warung is part of a network of “Tech Kiosks” whose owners use Kiva loans to purchase products from Kopernik, one of Kiva’s field partners. Kopernik connects these retailers to simple, life... Continue Reading >>

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About Kiva Fellows Program

Kiva Fellows are volunteers who maximize Kiva's impact around the world. By working closely with our Field Partners in over 50 countries, they make sure loan dollars go where they're needed most -- while having a few adventures along the way. Learn more >>